LAS-ELC Helps Women Veterans at Bakersfield Stand Up

LAS-ELC Helps Women Veterans at Bakersfield Stand Up

February 23, 2014

Today LAS-ELC joined the California Women's Law Center to provide legal services to homeless women veterans in Bakersfield, CA at the Kern County Women Veterans Stand Up organized by California Veterans Assistance Association. More than 100 women veterans attended the event, and about a dozen sought legal services.

Like the Stand Down for Women Veterans in Long Beach, California which LAS-ELC participated in last July, the programs and services provided at Kern County Women Veterans Stand Up were tailored to the specific needs of female veterans. Female veterans have unique experiences and needs, and they may not feel comfortable getting help at mostly-male Stand Down events.

"We have women veterans who were sexually assaulted in the military and then were kicked out under less than honorable conditions," said LAS-ELC Senior Staff Attorney Kristen in an interview with NBC NEWS. "That can be a real barrier for them to access benefits they're entitled to."

Stand Down events have been held across the country for years to provide food, clothing, services, and referrals to veterans in need. For more information about upcoming Stand Down events for veterans in California, please visit http://www.cavaf.org/